Pendulum swings away from patient to health care worker protection

In the complicated and highly emotional atmosphere surrounding the issue of AIDS transmission, what may seem reasonable and reassuring to patients does not always seem reasonable to the medical community. This point was raised again with the death on December 8 of Kimberly Bergalis, who was infected by her dentist during a tooth extraction. It continues to play out in recent actions of health care organizations and in studies of physician fears and responsibilities in treating AIDS patients. The following article summarizes these events.